Weasels Spfld.
Butché's West Coast Lost Tour 08is under construction |
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This is the one and only el Butche.
The "idea's man".
(they just aren't always good ones)Here's the play by play of the tour.
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This is the one and only el Butche. The "idea's man". (they just aren't always good ones)Here's the play by play of the tour.
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squirrel on the road side and just having a beer and a smoke.
after further review last night. the cheerleader deal is out.
"where you gonna pack her pom-poms butche?"
good enough.
that said up early and thought i;d toss a couple more in from yesterdays leg.
also. if anyone can help. we are trying to take movies with cannon elphs to put on youtube. i have NO idea how to do it. so if anyone can help let me know.
and i'll see what we can do. if it can be done.
Butche
been off line for a while. will update all this when i get to the house one day at a time.
i lost my charger for my laptop in sturgis. currently in Minot ND. did Sturgis then Canada.
heading home. hitting MN to visit friends then back to MO. should land in springtown sunday. VERY tired. ready to go home.
pictures to come:
big horn mtns (lost rear breaks there)
camp (Animal replaced breaks for me there)( some may know who he is he has been around for a while)
Sturgis.
North Dakota
Canada
and what ever i get on the way home.
plenty of stories to post just need more power.
Butche
td>
last time i ledt you in Rock Spring WY.
That next morning it was mighty chilly. we decided to get a piece up the road and stop for coffee. 40 miles later i heard a scraping as i passed between two road construction barriers. we stopped in that town and filled up with gas and got a cup of coffee. my rear caliper was closed and the pad had wore down to the metal. we pryed it apart and just said. no rear brakes for today.
Great. Off into the Big horn Mountains.
We stopped a few times to take pictures. One stop was at Thermopolis. Home of the worlds largest mineral hot spring. impressive. The dome we have here was piped in about 105 years ago. they just add pipe to the top and as it cools it adds the lime to the dome. Squirrel told me it was just years of goat shit that i should worship it. lol.
we continued on through the Big Horns stopping in Buffalo to gas up and mabe call Gillette to see if they had rooms. Tammy took the camera to get some video of squirrel and I riding but Squirrel didn't want to play too much so.. i have to look and see what we got later. We skipped the phone calls and road on into Gillette. Bad Move. Rooms there (remember this is 150 miles from Sturgis) were triple normal price. Motel 6 that I have trusted and gotten grief over was now at $145.00$ for a 60$ room. one night. even the roach motels with dirty sheets and hourly rates had shot to around $100. This pist off Squirrel real well and the next thing i heard was screw it butche we're going to the camp ground. Good Move. ($15 A night).
a pit stop in Sundance for gas and a beer and a blast for Piedmont SD before the sun went down. we ran 80 across Interstate 90 and saw more officers that i had ever seen. we commented it was like bear fishing out the salmon during a spawn. They had people pulled over on both sides on the road and one car in every turn around. it was crazy. how fast do you have to be going to get pulled over (cars and bikes) in a 75 MPH speed limit?
We hit the Elk Creek Steak house and made our calls over the noise of the dyno (i hate those things) (one day i will hear BOOM and laugh my ass off).
Off up into camp and... set tent. we are one day early to camp. they are all glad to see us and we shot the shit til 2 am.
Squirrel and I plan to hit the convention center, a strip joint and Deadwood tomorrow.
Butche
i added some of those videos.
http://www.youtube.com/elbutche
Ok. so in my head it is Tuesday.
We stayed at Uncle Don's Campground (605) 787-5888 off of Elk Creek Road.
Great place. Uncle Don adopts everyone he meet. he really is a great guy. Cruises around in his golf cart and just chats with everyone. (Animal was his navigatior this year). 2 years ago fire nearly wiped him out. next time you go up. stay with the guy. its cheap and a fun place to be. it has history.
we all wake up to take a look at my brakes. (remember I have no rears) there is a guy running around rally's for years named Animal. he rides an old pan with invaders. some may have met him in travels. i dont have tools and he does. i WAS going to run down to sears and get what i needed but for 30$ he would be done in 45 minutes.
SOLD. see in every camp you have 15 mechanics that tell you "you're going it wrong" or "try this" etc. a 30 minute brake job turns into a 3 hour job. this was much easier and gave me a chance to shower and etc. this was mechanical situtation # 2. didnt get a picture of him because the camera was dead but.. there you are.
we ran down to the American Legion breakfast. 6 bucks. hell of a deal.
We all discussed meeting at the convention center. We wanted to see the changes Harley had made on the 08 models (there are quite a few) I liked most the changes so i would have done a little different but i am not controlled but government regs so. there you are. (i know some of you don't like the company but I do and that topic is for another day).(i only am concerned with road kings and glides. the rest of the bikes hold no interest to me. what can i say i am a FL guy. Always have been.
Most impressive is we all know the "twinkie" has a heat problem in parade duty and mexcian crossings. waiting in line makes that thing run very hot. it needs the air flow. they have placed a control on the throttle that you roll forward and it causes the rear cylinder to stop firing to reduce heat. nice idea but i would have put it on the clutch side i think or made a thumb switch. i havent thought that out. we can see how it works.
they added 6 gallon tanks making the top motor mount move to the front of the engine. i really didnt like that. it looked like a steering dampner gone wrong. the frame had be redone to put a slightly wider tire (180) on the rear. i am not a big tire guy but a 180 isnt really big now is it? remember this is for long distance riding and seeing what is left of my rear tire ( i wouldn't ride another 50 miles on it) more meat in the mountains would not be such a bad deal.
We (Squirrel and I) decided not to wait and headed out to Shotgun Willies for a beer on the way to Deadwood. Got hit on by a striper named Vanessa (yeah right) and she was gonna come see me and Squirrel at Weasel Wednesday (again yeah right) but it made for a 2 day joke about who she was coming to see. (no, she didnt show.lol) drank our beer and headed to Deadwood via Nemo. nice ride. sweeping curves all at a nice 50 MPH so you can really look around.
Got to Deadwood and went to the #10 for the traditional beer and for Squirrel to get his clay chip from the Golden. (while in there he lost a quick 60 bucks this time.)
We headed back and stopped to get ice for the camp cooler. At the gas station we saw the rest of the crew and they were headed down to deadwood and then on to see the lights come on at Rushmore. we opted to not go and headed back to camp to just relax for a while. and then... the STORM HIT.
Soupie's "Taj Ma Hal" fell in the rain and wind and since i had just got out of the shower i went out to try and save it. Squirrel and Louie told me the forget it it was already wet and my point was it was collecting water and anything i could do now would make it easier for them later in the dark. out i went. i must have looked like Giligan trying to save the skippers hut in a hurricane. i got drenched but was ok with it. he would have done it for me. They called from Deadwood after the first storm and asked the weather. the storm had hit there. they waited and headed back. Soupie knew had work to do.
When they got there as i stated it was dark and stuff was drenched. they were thankful they had an air matress to get them off the ground for the evening and thanked me for trying. i got the tent up but it needed work and in a storm and the dark never having seen how it goes together.. i impressed a few. anyway.. cold and wet. i went to bed.
the second wave hit and just twisted and turned my little tent around. making it hard to sleep... then i rolled over. Water came rushing in and then i was drenched again. I didnt have a flash light so i had to turn on my computer to see what was going on. i made best i could the lay on something dry and covered myself with what ever i could and just fought til morning. Soupie took me to the laundry mat and we dried everything... what a way to spend the night. then again. if you don't get rained on. you haven't been to Sturgis.
Butche
OK.. it is now Weasel Wednesday. a holiday for those in the orange.
a MAJOR HOLIDAY for those in orange in Sturgis.
got up. did the laundry mat thing with Soupie.
(note: Tman. i was gonna come by but i had planned to write down the info that night in Gillette. since we skipped it and i ran out of WiFi i was stuck. i will plan better next year. our presence was discussed.)
Soooo i get my stuff dry and get back to camp. Soupie bought me breakfast for the tent save attempt. i dont think i did anything special but he appreciated it. friends can't beat them can ya? anyway, we got back and unloaded.
the plan was for me and Squirrel to head in to Sturgis for the "shopping for those that can't get there... EARLY (kids you know and stuff) (I print t shirts and shit for a living. what do i need with a 20 $ t shirt?) anyway. he went in while me and Soup were dealing with the storms wetness and then when i got back i headed in. Parked and paid my 5$ just cause its easy and got my pin, then headed to the Spoke for the "ride in chopper show" put on by the easyrider mag.
hmm get the kids a spoke saloon shirt? nah then they will just get into to trouble with the whole PC schools. sooo i just went. talked to "Clean Dean" for a sec. he was busy and in the middle of all this i get a call from "claydog" jerry. "Butche where the hell are you? we are on Main" and i know you are down here. i dropped the chop show. same stuff you always see.... I'd like to see something different and close to traditional and USED but you never will. hell Dixie with all her dents and scrapes.. at least it shows i ride the damn thing. a chopper that is made to look beat... is still a show boat in my book. paint it and scratch it.. and you dont care. that is the real thing. (yes i have old stories of guys spending the winter painting there bikes to that of nothing you have ever seen and slamming the forks into them as they roll out and just saying.. the first one hurts. get it over with.) ol timers. go figure. but its how i learned.
so anyway. it is tradition for me to be on main on Wednesday and call my closest friend my younger brother Matt. "OK find the web cam sites. here i am" he hunts the cams and looks for me and takes a shot to save. it's fun for him and me. it's tradition and well... corny as it may be.. we enjoy it. and jerry and tammy and i do our shopping for the cheap shirts. then. lunch comes up.. PORK CHOP? hmm i have heard for years of the 8.50 and up.. damn. if you dont do it.. you miss it. just a little tent off Lazelle Street;. mine was 18 ounces and was the smallest. these thing are a day's meal. it is a hunk of pork that you can't beat. dear GOD it was good. and off to the Elk Creek Steakhouse I go. Weasels Wednesday starts at 2 pm. kinda.. it's when we show up.
well i took the monkey. took video of me "spanking the monkey" (on youtube.com now) to push the joke and then there were boobs and a burn out, as tradition has it. just good times. beer laughs just another major Weasel Wednesday. Me and Doc outta CO messed with some Hamsters. Rick Fairless was with them and didnt want anything to do with us. i ribbed him a bit."c'mon it's a joke join the fun take the picture before i eat your yellow shirts."he was a bit cranky, but i understand. if i was him i would get sick of all the pestering and want to be left alone. that is why... i never wanted to be famous just a guy you wanted to meet and buy a beer or coffee for a bit of conversation. sad. fame will kill the good ones and and make some worse. then back to camp. nope no stripper. LOL Vanseea didn't love me or squirrel and the joke died. Crocket, Soupie and Squirrel finally met the dominos million dollar challenge of Louie "I can beat anyone" at camp and we just finished our week together that night.
the morning ment i needed to pack good an head north. Canada. then to MN... i am missing home. my boy my dogs ....can i do it?
tomorrow i get up... and...
Rise and SHINE... Butche's going to Canada.
Got up neither early nor late. just up and started to pack up camp. Said good-byes and all that and took off for the last legs of the planned Tour.
Took off to Silverfish and just headed North. In my travels i have noticed. just a little bit on the map sometimes is further than you think.
ESPECIALLY when in North Dakota.
Upon first entering the state there was not much to be said. Looked much like the badlands. hills and erosion. it was nice to be back riding and seeing the country first hand again.
or so i though.
Some where after Williston the world stopped and Kansas took over.. this time in a worse way than you'll find anywhere else. I thought HMY50 was a lonely road. By far this beat hwy 50.
I rode up to Fortuna ND. it is in the northwest corner right next to Montana (so i could grab another state). THERE WAS NOTHING OUT THERE. well except for hay bails. Being from Missouri i am used to seeing a large number of hay bails usually with the cattle to depleat the bails. not here. i can not tell you what 200 miles of hay looks like. I never saw a person and maybe 3 pickups. if you looked around you could see forever. that was kinda neat.. except it looked the same to all horizons. Hay. Hay fields. no cattle to speak of. look at the pictures i added and you'll get the idea.. but as you look remember. 200 miles in is 200 miles out. (but that is for later).
ok so i am running low on fuel and arrive to Foutuna. i just figured there would be a gas station there. i haddn't seen one for a very long while. i rode into town down the only street in town. there sat a very dead gas station. as in 40 years dead. old crank pumps (if you remember having to crank them to reset the gallons). Still yet i have learned if you are patient. you will find a bar and i did. it was like a scenne out of a Eastwood movie. No one for mile and a bar with only the bartender in it reading the paper. I walked in figuring i cold get a little info inside and have a beer. it was Bizzarre nice guy still, stange feeliing. I asked if the place ever gets hoppin and was told..
"it comes in spurts."
(huh.. so like 5 people show up?) asked about the hay and cattle. 20 head for 2,000 acres seemed a little drastic. I was told they winter indoors and since the winters are so long they need a large amount of hay for them. made sence. Then i asked for the whammy.... you guys have a gas station around here anywhere?
"yup.. the feed mill (only other building in town) sells gas. Hmmm. now i grew up around small farm towns. i know people that had dirt floors and people that didnt have indoor plumbing until 1977 but, i dont remember gas at the feed mill or i dont think i do. Still i was glad to get fuel. It was on the honor system. just pump your gas and go tell them the gallons you got. I forgot people used to be trusting... especially with the pay before you pump stuff.
I gassed up and headed for Canada.
As i rode up i thought about how long i had been on the road and that someone could have planted something on the bike.. (it crosses your mind) but i didn't know anyone that does that stuff anymore so it just dropped.
As i got in line they (two border guards) were tearing apart a enclosed trailer and bikes. i sat for an hour or so for that truck and trailer. they went over it with a fine tooth comb. hhmmmmm that thought creeps back in a little but again.. why would someone plant something on you? the next camper rolled up and they got a little less inspection still i was just sitting on the bike and pacing and smoking. passing the time. i should have got out my ipod. THEN IT WAS MY TURN. i had quite a few people behind me and all i wanted was to go in and back out.
I got the questions.
Why are you here? "to do border to border"
do you have your ID? "yes passport and DL"
got any alcohol with you "yes 5 sturgis cans of beer"
any tobacco? half a pack (like he didn't just see me smoke)
no chew? "nope"
where is your gun? "dont have one"
no shot gun? "where would i put a shot gun? nope i dont have a gun"
you came all this way without a gun? "well i have my knife if that matters."
got any convictions? yea a dui over 10 years ago.
anything else? no beating up on the wife? "nope just here to take a picture of the sign and leave"
So let me get this right. all you want to do is take a picture of that sign and leave? "Yup" border to border."
I'll hold your ID and when you get back you can have it back. "works for me" and off i go.
got my picture and went to the US border side. now they had sat there and watched me go in and come back out. wouldn't you notice a stars and bars glitter helmet walking around a bike for an hour?
What were you doing in Canada? "turning around." (side note: why does all the guards hate that answer its true and both mexico and canada watched me turn around)
so you rode from missouri to turn around. "Yes-sir"
OK. what did you buy in Canada? nuthin just took some pictures and left.
Where have you been then? (i start in with the locations and places i have covered and sure i sounded like the long version of Alice's Resturant Massacre with the four part harmony.) and finished with where i stood.
Wait here.
as i waited i got a quick picture of myself on the bike. i was bored. i had been sitting for a very long time. he came back.
What do you do for a living? "print and draw motorcycles and t shirts for groups, parties shops and the like.
well then that explains all the pictures... off you go.
now here is the rub. i found out in Minnesota from friends in Canada a DUI is a felony and they wont let you in until you prove you have rehabilitated yourself with proof.
huh.. glad i didn't know that going it.. then i would have been nervous and got the glove search.
i left back out through the nothing and planned to ride to Jamestown for the night and only made I made Minot (150 miles. felt like 1500) and was thankful to even find a room. it was the best nights sleep i had on the road. i was WORE out. making tomorrow a 600 mile day. dang.
oh on another note... in ND there are these bug that i dont know what they were but when you hit them it is like hitting a mini water balloon. they pop and you are wet. it wasn't rain it was a bug.. that and bees at 80 in the corner of your nose hurt so bad you almost fall off the bike. yes that bad.
Butche
Minot North Dakota. Nice place. Few available rooms. I found one and had to pay extra for it but, i was ok with that. i was exhausted. I felt lucky. I had gone to 3 places to be turned down every time or be offered the honeymoon suite at 175$ for a night. Ahhh no.
It was the 2nd to last room they had. i was forever thankful and unpacked the bike as 3 women on bikes from Canada showed up to grab the last room. i went to bed quick and did my best to quick email people " i am alive" before the apple died. I lost/left the power cord in Sturgis and that was an issue. i fell asleep... wishing i had made Jamestown and could have, but it made no sense. I was tired and didn't have to push myself. it was a good and bad choice as you will see.
I woke up to the Today Show. (I'm in love with Meredith Vierira, so what?) and the local weather... damn... Rain outside of town. Rain. Rain. Rain and 61 degrees. damn. this is gonna suck.
Still i loaded up and saw the 3 girls loading there bikes as well. They packed a little different that i would have (in my book you never have extra bungie cords. especially if you are only trying to use a cargo net for 3 bags) We chatted and small talk. I guess they were going to catch the end of the rally. They asked about my trip and such. No biggie.
I Blasted.
20 miles out of Minot, the rain started. Here is where i would place most ever cuss words i know and some words i create to explain that leg...I rode from Minot to St Cloud in the pouring . pissing, misting dumping rain. To top all that it was cold and i got that core shiver. The storm was traveling with me. What can i say, it was the worst leg of this trip. the one I wouldn't quit. Oh sure there were thoughts about stopping for the day but, I haven't stopped before and had places to be so i just kept the throttle open and hammered through
Finally met my friends in St Paul at a bar. We hung out for everyone to get there (Pam who thought we had already left). Chatted for a while and Craig, Carol and I headed down to Hay Creek to a campground where the rest of the MN Weasels were already camping.
Not much to write about camp. they were doing a ride the next day and i was heading home.
Saturday I head out.
ever get to a place where you just want to go home?
i just rode. no pictures. just rode and got home.
I spent all day Sunday trying to find myself. move vehicles around unpack, check on the shop, look at the books, and schedule for work this week. etc.
6499.6 miles. (you can;t watch it while riding only when stopped so you don;t go around the block to grab a bit more. that is cheating)
15 States: Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, and home to Missouri.
15 days and a few hours
3 countries
1 coast
I am glad i did it and plan on doing it again next year. maybe go east. it was a good way for me to visit customers and meet new people and hang out with old friends.
i learned a few things. I got to see some incredible places. Always trust a National Park. they take longer but are well worth the ride. Take time and ride the 2 lanes. that is where your pay offs are at.
Intestates will get you there fast but you dont see anything.
i am damn glad to be home. i am broke and need to get to work. (which was part of the purpose of the ride to promote work)
i have left over can koozies i might sell when i get around to it but, i will post that in the "for sale" later.
Hope all you that followed enjoyed the story. It was good times.
thanks for reading.
Butche